Modern Beauty

Arthur Symons's Modern Beauty

Introduction

Arthur Symons' poem "Modern Beauty" is a masterful exploration of the complex relationship between beauty, desire, and mortality. This twelve-line sonnet, published in Symons' 1902 collection "Images of Good and Evil," encapsulates the fin-de-siècle aesthetic preoccupations with decadence, symbolism, and the femme fatale. Through a first-person narrative voice that embodies beauty itself, Symons crafts a haunting meditation on the enduring power of beauty and its simultaneously destructive and transcendent nature.

Analysis of Form and Structure

The poem's structure is that of an English sonnet, consisting of three quatrains and a concluding couplet. However, Symons subverts the traditional rhyme scheme, opting for an ABABCC pattern throughout, which lends the poem a sense of continuity and inevitability. This structural choice mirrors the eternal nature of beauty as described in the poem, suggesting an unbroken cycle of attraction and destruction.

The metrical pattern adheres largely to iambic pentameter, though Symons employs strategic variations to emphasize key words and concepts. For instance, the spondee in the opening line, "I am," immediately establishes the authoritative voice of beauty personified. This metrical disruption serves to command attention and underscore the speaker's self-assurance.

The Voice of Beauty Personified

Symons' decision to personify beauty as a speaking entity is a bold narrative choice that allows for a direct and unapologetic exploration of beauty's nature. The voice is simultaneously alluring and menacing, embodying the dual nature of aesthetic attraction. The opening lines, "I am the torch, she saith, and what to me / If the moth die of me?" immediately establish the speaker's indifference to the destructive consequences of her allure.

This personification draws on a rich tradition of allegorical representations of beauty in literature, from the medieval concept of Lady Philosophy to the Romantic ideal of Beauty as Truth. However, Symons infuses this tradition with a distinctly modern sensibility, characterized by a combination of self-awareness and amoral detachment.

Imagery and Symbolism

The central metaphor of the torch and moth is a powerful encapsulation of the poem's themes. The torch represents beauty—radiant, consuming, and indifferent—while the moth symbolizes those drawn to beauty, destined for destruction in their pursuit. This image evokes John Donne's "The Candle" but strips away any notion of mutual suffering or sacrifice.

Symons expands on this imagery with the line "I am the flame / Of Beauty, and I burn that all may see / Beauty." The repetition of "Beauty" emphasizes its centrality to the poem's concerns, while the verb "burn" reinforces the destructive yet illuminating nature of aesthetic experience.

The poem is rich in mythological and historical allusions, particularly in the second quatrain. The speaker identifies herself with Yseult (Isolde) and Helen, two figures from legend whose beauty sparked wars and tragedy. The reference to Troy burning further emphasizes the destructive power of beauty on a grand scale. These allusions serve to universalize the speaker's claims, suggesting that beauty's influence spans across time and cultures.

The Paradox of Immortality and Change

A central tension in the poem lies between beauty's claim to immortality and the acknowledgment of historical change. The lines "I live, and am immortal; in my eyes / The sorrow of the world, and on my lips / The joy of life, mingle to make me wise" assert an eternal, unchanging nature. Yet this is immediately juxtaposed with the observation that "now the day is darkened with eclipse," suggesting a shift in the contemporary world's relationship to beauty.

This paradox is further developed through the image of the mirror and breath, with beauty claiming "The world has been my mirror, time has been / My breath upon the glass." This evocative metaphor suggests both reflection and impermanence, the fleeting nature of individual perceptions of beauty contrasted with its enduring essence.

The Critique of Modernity

The poem's final lines take a critical turn towards the modern world: "Who is there still lives for beauty? Still am I / The torch, but where's the moth that still dares die?" This questioning stance implies a diminishment in humanity's willingness to pursue beauty at all costs, perhaps reflecting fin-de-siècle anxieties about the impact of industrialization and materialism on aesthetic values.

Symons, as a key figure in the Decadent movement, often grappled with the place of art and beauty in an increasingly prosaic world. This poem can be read as a lament for the fading of passionate aesthetic engagement, with the modern world cast as too timid or too practical to risk all for beauty's sake.

The Ethics of Aestheticism

Throughout the poem, Symons grapples with the moral implications of aesthetic devotion. The speaker's declaration "I have neither joy nor shame" positions beauty as beyond conventional morality, existing in a realm of pure aesthetic value. This aligns with the Decadent credo of "art for art's sake," which prioritized aesthetic experience over moral or social concerns.

However, the poem does not present this amoral stance uncritically. The repeated imagery of destruction and death associated with the pursuit of beauty raises questions about the ethical responsibilities of both the artist and the aesthete. The final couplet's implicit criticism of a world that no longer "dares die" for beauty suggests a complex valorization of aesthetic martyrdom, challenging the reader to consider the value and cost of absolute devotion to art and beauty.

Conclusion

"Modern Beauty" stands as a testament to Symons' skill in distilling complex philosophical and aesthetic concepts into powerfully evocative poetry. Through its personification of beauty, rich imagery, and engagement with literary and mythological traditions, the poem offers a multifaceted exploration of the nature of beauty and its role in human experience.

The tension between beauty's eternal nature and the changing world, the paradoxical coexistence of destruction and illumination, and the questioning of modernity's relationship to aesthetic values all contribute to the poem's enduring relevance. Symons not only captures the spirit of the Decadent movement but also anticipates modernist concerns with the fragmentation of traditional values and the search for meaning in an increasingly disenchanted world.

Ultimately, "Modern Beauty" challenges readers to confront their own relationship with beauty, art, and desire. It asks us to consider what we are willing to sacrifice for aesthetic experience and whether the modern world has lost something vital in its more cautious approach to beauty. In doing so, it continues to resonate with contemporary discussions about the role of art and beauty in society, making it a worthy subject of study and reflection more than a century after its composition.